Night at Paranal Observatory

Looking south from the Paranal Residencia, when the very first light of dawn starts to appear on the horizon. On the left side of the picture is the Milky Way, where the Coal Sack dark nebula and the reddish Carina Nebula are clearly distinguishable. Towards the right edge, the Large Magellanic Cloud is also visible. The white 35-metre dome of the Paranal Residencia is at the bottom of the picture, the only visible feature of this almost completely hidden building. The Residencia is light-insulated, in order to avoid any escape of artificial light during night hours. The dome is covered by an umbrella-shaped blackout curtain which automatically closes at sunset and opens at sunrise.